At least 21 people were killed in northern Lebanon late Monday, health officials said, as Israel expanded the targets in its war with Hezbollah.
So far the main focus of Israel's military operations in Lebanon has been in the Bekaa Valley in the east, the suburbs of Beirut, and in the south, where incidents involving Israeli troops and U.N. peacekeepers have created tension.
The U.N. Security Council on Monday expressed strong concern after several peacekeeping positions in southern Lebanon came under fire amid clashes between the Israeli military and Hezbollah.
The strike in the Christian-majority northern town of Aitou hit a house that had been rented to displaced families, the town's Mayor Joseph Trad told Reuters. In addition to the deaths, eight people were injured, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
Rescue workers at the site of the strike searched through piles of rubble Monday, where burned vehicles and trees could be seen strewn across the ground.
Israel ordered residents of 25 villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate to areas north of the Awali River, which flows some 60 kilometers (35 miles) north of the Israeli frontier.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting a military base in central Israel where four soldiers were killed on Sunday by a Hezbollah drone strike, said Israel would continue to attack the Iran-backed movement "without mercy, everywhere in Lebanon – including Beirut."
Meanwhile, in central Israel, residents rushed to shelters as sirens sounded. The military said three projectiles that had crossed from Lebanon had been intercepted. No injuries were reported.
The Israeli military said about 115 projectiles fired by Hezbollah crossed from Lebanon into Israel on Monday.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah resumed a year ago when the group began firing rockets at Israel in support of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas at the start of the Gaza war.
It has escalated sharply in recent weeks, with Israel saying its operations are aimed at securing the return of tens of thousands of people displaced from their homes in northern Israel.
As Israel has pushed its forces through south Lebanon in an attempt to wipe out Hezbollah, tensions have increased between Israel and the U.N. peacekeeping force UNIFIL.
The U.N. said Israeli tanks had burst into its base on Sunday.
Netanyahu on Monday rejected accusations that Israeli troops had deliberately harmed UNIFIL peacekeepers as "completely false" and repeated a call for them to withdraw from combat zones close to the border with Israel.
He said Hezbollah uses UNIFIL positions as cover for attacks that have killed Israelis, including Sunday, when a drone attack on a military base killed four soldiers.
"Israel has every right to defend itself against Hezbollah and will continue to do so," Netanyahu said in a statement.
He said he regretted any harm to UNIFIL personnel but added that the best way to ensure their safety was "to heed Israel's request and to temporarily get out of harm's way."
The force's spokesperson on Monday said in a video posted on X that the peacekeeping mission would stay.
"We are staying ... we are in south of Lebanon under a Security Council mandate. So it’s important to keep an international presence and to keep the U.N. flag in the area," Andrea Tenenti said.
